Fan Interference

Here are the next few days of postseason action:

Tuesday, October 4th, 2016

AL Wild Card – Orioles (Tillman) vs Blue Jays (Stroman)

Wednesday, October 5th, 2016

NL Wild Card – Giants (Bumgarner) vs Mets (Syndergaard)

Thursday, October 6th, 2016

AL Division Series Game 1- WC Winner vs Rangers

AL Division Series Game 1- Red Sox (Porcello) vs Indians (Bauer)

Friday, October 7, 2016

ALDS Game 2 – WC vs Rangers

ALDS Game 2 – Red Sox (Price) vs Indians (Kluber)

NL Division Series Game 1 – Dodgers (Kershaw) vs Nationals (TBD)

NLDS Game 1 – WC vs Cubs

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Prof:  So, tomorrow is the first play-in game, Baltimore at Toronto. Anyway, this will be an interesting game. On paper, Tillman has a better record than Stroman, but we all know that postseason play is different than regular season performance. Playing in Toronto will be tough for the Orioles, but I personally think they can win this one and done game if they are able to execute the following: don’t give into sloppy fielding, Chris Tillman is able to pitch well enough to get to Brach and Britton, and shut down Josh Donaldson as much as possible. Bonus points if Trumbo is able to be effective and guys like Manny Machado and Adam Jones can go at least 2-3.

My Braves Fam on Twitter, for what it’s worth, all agree with me when it comes to this game. We all think that it will be a high scoring affair and that it will basically come down to whether or not Chris Tillman gets rattled and guys like Matt Weiters can come through with some small ball when needed. Because if the O’s are able to get through seven with the lead, they should be able to pull this out and go on to meet the Rangers. And now we take it to our resident Orioles fan to see his view.

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Scouts: This match-up has the potential to go either way.  On one hand, the Orioles have potentially the best offense in baseball and can put some cooked numbers very fast.  On the other, their pitching can be all over the place from ace-like to cover-your-eyes bad.  Chris Tillman started off the season with a bang, and continued to be pretty dominant until a shoulder injury in August that caused him to get blown out of one game and miss a few more.  Ever since that injury he hasn’t quite fully recovered, although he’s had some decent outings.  (Over his last 7, he’s pitched to a 5.03 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP).  I’d expect a VERY short leash on him as the team has enough bullpen depth to cover a short outing.  Interestingly enough there was a lot of debate over starting Ubaldo Jimenez as he has just been pitching out of his mind the past few months.  Crazy right?

As for the Blue Jays, well we all know how arrogant they can be, but they have the talent to back it up.  Just about anyone in that lineup can change the game at a minutes notice, for which they don’t receive enough credit.  Stroman is an interesting choice for the Jays.  He is 0-5 with a 3.98 ERA, 42 H over 43 Innings and a 1.33 WHIP in his last 7 games, but he also has a successful history over the Orioles.  The two teams match up incredibly well, and the difference may end up being that Toronto was able to secure home field advantage as a result of the tie breaker.  The Orioles tended to play much better at home this season, but in a one game playoff, especially with these two teams absolutely anything can happen.  It could be a 1-0 game or a 12-17 game.

 

Tomorrow we’ll take on the NL Wild Card match up.